When would you be ready for next gen consoles?

[Solidus]

Like all media, games sooner or later will be all digital and download. No hard copies on discs anymore.

The switch has already begun. 3D and motion control games will dominate next gen.

But, only having digital downloads sucks . I mean, what are we going to do with all of the old games that we don't want to play anymore? Are we even going to have the option of reselling them?

 

[ViperSRT]

To bad the PC gaming market has been detroyed by bad ports, bad servers, and B.S. malware securoms and other DRM or I wouldn't even need a console. I do have Ps3 and 360. Honestly I think 4-5 years. Hell especially with Ps3 very few games have even come close to tapping it's potential with the execption of the Uncharted games. Thats pretty sad.

Then of course we have "3D" and all of these motnion sensor contraptions. I do play games, but if I want "3D' and the ability to move around, I go out and...oh I don't know....LIVE LIFE!

 

[hairlesswookiee]

But, only having digital downloads sucks . I mean, what are we going to do with all of the old games that we don't want to play anymore? Are we even going to have the option of reselling them?

Game companies probably won't care about this factor. They don't see the money from reselling games so of course they'd want digital downloads to take over.

With 3D, I don't give a ____. It's still just a fancy gimmick that I don't want to pay for.

 

[Deckard]

Then of course we have "3D" and all of these motnion sensor contraptions. I do play games, but if I want "3D' and the ability to move around, I go out and...oh I don't know....LIVE LIFE!

The idea is the ability to feel like your actually storming the beaches without the consequence.

If you have an attack helicopter in your backyard I can fly and use to blow up a city you own, were set, otherwise, I think I'll pick up the new Battlefield game.

 

[darthviper107]

The consoles don't have enough left in them to last all that much longer.

With PC's have gotten to the point where consoles simply can't match them. And if they don't release a new generation of consoles to match then it would be very bad for the industry--developers won't really take advantage of the capabilities of PC hardware if they can't also release on consoles, which means there's not much reason for PC hardware to develop further until consoles catch up.

Next generation though will be really cool--I can bet the new consoles won't be as expensive as last generation, which is one advantage of the longer life cycle, since newer hardware won't be as expensive.

So what we can expect:

True HD Graphics---games on consoles only render at 720p, and some have a hard time maintaining 30fps. So next generation will be able to run games at 1080p without issues.
3D--if games today have a hard time rendering at 720p, then you know it's even worse to render two images for 3D, so more power will make that easier.

I'm not sure what types of innovation they can have--Microsoft can certainly improve on the Kinect, right now it's not as quick or accurate as it could be (use HD camera's and reduce the delay).

Nintendo has a rough year ahead--I can't think of any big games for the Wii this year, and they're going to struggle to try to innovate as much as they did with the Wii.

 

[Uncanny Web-Slinger]

i Think the next generation will have loads of measures to stop the secondary market dead, they're already taking steps:

1. The new bionic commando game will require you to have an internet connection.
2. Talk of serial activation numbers like on PC
3. The need to buy an online pass to access online components for second-hand games. (i think MOH has this)

If this is the way it goes i'm happy to wait forever for the new consoles.

They're basically trying to take ownership and control of the game we buy out of our hands.

 

[hairlesswookiee]

They're basically trying to take ownership and control of the game we buy out of our hands.

This is another reason why I'm not buying any of the future consoles on initial release dates. My brother and I swap games all the time. I just sent him Black Ops for a copy of the new Castlevania game. With digital downloads this would no longer be possible. Also, with digital downloads, serial keys, what happens if you have two consoles?

 

[plasmid303]

I don't think a digital-only future is in the cards, guys so I think we can relax for at least 1 more console generation before the threat of that is even on the radar.

I'm optimistic about the next console cycle. Outside of certain risk factors like heightened DRM and possible high failure rate of hardware (something that's plagued this gen more than any before it), I think it'd be good as a change of pace. The 10-year plan is just too long. I'm betting either Nintendo or Microsoft will fire the first shot in 2 years and Sony will be forced to follow suit soon after.

Frankly, I'm tired of seeing ANY low-res texture in games. Pixelated shadows are also a problem. Developers have really pushed the hardware to get a lot of good-looking games now, but you can really see the strain even in graphical beasts like God of War III or Uncharted 2. The hardware is beginning to hold back the creativity. Inconsistent framerates, games not running at native 1080p or even true 720p (Halo 3 is an example).

And like darthviper said, if the future really is 3d, then a hardware update is necessary soon. Current hardware cannot elegantly render games in 3D without a large compromise in framerate.

I played Crysis (pc) almost 3 years ago and it had better graphics than console games do today. I think it's almost time to move up.

 

[CelticPredator]

15 years.....